The whereabouts of social media commentator and government critic Mr Justice Mark Chidiebere, popularly known as Justice Crack, remain unknown after he reportedly left for a meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, and failed to return.
According to family members and associates, Chidiebere informed his wife that he was heading to an undisclosed meeting after receiving a phone call. His phones have since been switched off, and repeated attempts to reach him have been unsuccessful.
His disappearance has raised concerns among relatives, friends and supporters, with fears of possible abduction or detention, especially given his recent public criticism of security agencies and comments on alleged rights violations, including the killing of a National Youth Service Corps member in Abuja.
Concern grew further after his wife began reaching out to his close contacts to confirm his whereabouts. Sources also said he had earlier called a friend to help pick up his children from school, suggesting he expected to return shortly.
Social media users claimed his last known phone location was traced to the Nigerian Army Officers Wives Association (NAOWA) Complex in Asokoro, Abuja, though this has not been independently confirmed.
As of press time, no security agency had confirmed his arrest or detention. Supporters have called on the Nigeria Police Force and military authorities to account for his whereabouts.
One supporter, Peter Omokiniovo Ogbudu, urged his immediate release, saying citizens must not be intimidated or silenced, while insisting that freedom of expression remains essential in a democracy.
Ogbudu continued, “Please, if Justice Mark Chidiebere is in your custody, we are calling on you, we don't want to point accusing fingers now, but the last location of Justice Mark Chidiebere is showing the NAOWA shopping complex before he went off the radar.
“Please, security agencies, you know what to do. If he is with you, please, release him as quickly as possible. Nigerians are waiting, so that he can go back and reunite with his family.”
He Is Not A Criminal –Supporters
On Facebook, another user identified as Mr. Common Sense also called for transparency over Chidiebere’s disappearance.
“We believe that if he is being held for anything, information should be released because he is not a criminal, at least we know that for fact,” he said.
“If he has done anything that warrants the authorities to want to keep him, it may be in the line of his duties and in demand for a better country.
“Except that, maybe the non-state actors have him, but he was in Abuja around NAOWA Complex in Asokoro.
“We are begging the Nigeria Police to expedite action and get Justice back for us. Whatever needs to be done should be done.”
Activists Make Entry At FCT Police Command
Human rights activist Peter Akah also disclosed in a video recorded at the Federal Capital Territory Police Command that he and others have gone there to lodge complaints and demand urgent action.
“Nigerian problems don't ever end. We are still talking about the police extrajudicial killing in Delta, and the shenanigans going on, now, Justice Mark Chidiebere, known on social media as Justice Crack, one of us, his whereabouts has not been known since yesterday,” Akah said.
According to Akah, Chidiebere’s wife explained that her husband had earlier dropped her at church and taken their children to school before leaving for the meeting.
He added that around 12:38pm, she noticed missed calls from him. After that moment, his phones became unreachable and no further communication was possible.
Akah said the Commissioner of Police in the FCT assured them that the police had commenced efforts to locate Chidiebere and secure his release.
“It is not a crime to come out and demand for a better country or demand for accountability. We cannot continue to live in a country where people continue to disappear,” he said.
“Whether it is the law enforcement agency, the military, the DSS, the whereabouts of Justice Chidiebere is not known. His family is currently looking for him and everybody is concerned about where he is now.”
He warned sternly, “Nothing must happen to Justice Crack. It is not a crime to demand good governance. We are not criminals. We are not terrorists. This country must work, and every person has a right to demand for a better country.
“If you know you are the one in custody of Justice Crack, release him to come back to his family because nothing must happen to him.”
Missing After Criticising Security Forces
SaharaReporters gathered that Chidiebere had recently become increasingly vocal on two sensitive national issues: the welfare of Nigerian soldiers deployed to dangerous conflict zones and the controversial killing of NYSC member Abdulsamad Jamiu in Abuja.
In recent days, Chidiebere had posted videos criticising the treatment of frontline troops, including claims that soldiers were being poorly fed despite operating in high-risk environments.
He also made strong comments on the killing of Jamiu, whose death the military had attributed to a stray bullet during an anti-robbery operation.
In one of his final videos before his disappearance, Chidiebere publicly disputed the military’s account of the incident.
“Abdulsamad’s death has scared the shit out of me because a lot have been positioned in Nigeria to kill anybody. We are just moving corpses. We are just waiting to be dropped,” he said.
“If Boko Haram and kidnappers did not kill you, the law enforcement agency can kill you and nothing can happen.”
He questioned the Nigerian Army’s version of events, saying the claim of accidental crossfire did not match witness accounts or physical evidence.
“The Nigerian military released a statement, stating that Abdulsamad was killed during a cross-fire,” he said.
“They went there to repel the robbery and in the process, a flying bullet hit Abdulsamad. That story does not add up. That story is not true.”
‘Looks Like Assassination’
Chidiebere went further, citing testimonies from the deceased’s relatives and neighbours.
“The reason I'm saying it is not true is because, based on the videos and the testimonies of Abdulsamad’s sister, and the neighbours, you could see that the army personnel, that shot Abdulsamad, the two army guys that are still unknown to us, jumped fence, came in through fence,” he said.
He argued that multiple bullets were fired directly toward the victim’s room, suggesting deliberate intent rather than random gunfire.
“So, the flying bullet crossed the door; the first flying bullet did not make it, it hit the door. The second flying bullet entered and hit the wall. Then, the third flying bullet eventually splitted the head of Abdulsamad,” he said.
“It must really be a very deliberate flying bullet to kill Abdulsamad, and the military are telling us, Nigerians, that it was a cross-fire.”
He described feeling conflicted because he had previously defended soldiers and advocated improved welfare for them.
“Why this thing is paining is because a few days ago, I was here on this social media space, crying on how the Nigerian Army should be treated well,” he said.
“The kind of food they eat. Even as I'm making this video, army personnel in the war front in Maiduguri, and wherever they are, are still sending me videos and pictures of the kind of food they give them.
“I'm having mixed feelings now because the people I'm defending are still the same people killing us.”
Demand For Investigation
In the same video, Chidiebere called on both police and military authorities to release the truth about what happened to Jamiu.
“The Nigeria Police need to come up and tell us the truth. You people saw those two armies that killed Abdulsamad. They wrote statements. What did they write?” he said.
“The Nigerian Army needs to tell us the truth. Because I'm so scared that a policeman can just shoot somebody and say it is a cross-fire and everybody will move on. The army can just shoot somebody and say it is a cross-fire and everybody will move on.”
He then warned Nigerians not to ignore the matter.
Fresh Fears Over Dissent In Nigeria
His disappearance less than 24 hours after such forceful public criticism has now generated intense suspicion online, with many Nigerians questioning whether outspoken citizens are safe.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services (DSS), nor military authorities have publicly confirmed holding Chidiebere.
SaharaReporters contacted the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Police Force to ascertain whether Chidiebere is in their custody or not. But neither the army spokesperson, Col. Onyinye Anele, nor the Force spokesperson, DCP Anthony Okon Placid, answered calls or responded to messages sent to them till the time of filing this report.
No ransom demand has also been announced, leaving family members and supporters uncertain whether he was abducted by criminals or taken by state operatives.
